What can be done regarding neighbor's loud bass (rentals, eviction)

[MassVt]

Perhaps that noisy tenant could use earphones sometimes, instead of blaring the music out through speakers?

Having clueless, insensitive neighbors is just the worst..

[rdlr]

Originally Posted by MassVt

Yes, there are those who might complain about HOA restrictions, but these same "restrictions" would eliminate the OP's problems with noisy neighbors..

I couldn't imagine. We're in a totally different world here. For the past 30 years we've never had any complaints about neighbors, or otherwise in our small town. We don't have a HOA. If we ever had a problem I guess, we could just tell our town policeman as he walks by, or mention our concern down at the Town Hall where we all gather, or at one of the country festival meetings. We live the old fashioned way a strange phenomena these days. Our Town Pride Day is coming up soon! If there are any Town issues, they can be taken care of, with a little talking, at Town Pride Day! LOL

[danielj72]

Originally Posted by keithdmitchell

Basically I have a new neighbor who is renting the rowhouse next to me and sadly the person renting the house doesn't feel that he should turn down his bass. During our several talks he mentioned he doesn't feel that he should be inconvinced and that he doesn't think it's that loud. Doesn't matter that I expand to him that it is really distrubing me, since he has already stated he doesn't care. I even had him come into my house to listen to it, to which he stated it wasn't that loud. Well after a month of this i've had it, i'd called the police 3 times and I've contacted their landlord who hasn't responded to me at all.

I don't know what to do with this, I can't sleep or anything in the house. I've talked to this person numerous times and he won't turn it down. I simply don't know what to do anymore. The police said they can't do anything about it, the landlord is useless.

I really need to know what legal avenues I have other than looking for another home and putting my current house up for rent.

Is this a condo complex or a subdivision????? Contact the HOA, im sure there is a rule violation here and the landlord will have to deal with it. Record the noise in your unit and take it to the HOA.

[Teckeeee]

I would find out what the laws and stipulations of your lease agreement are. If there is a law/rule and the neighbor is breaking it then notify landlord in writing and if it continues break your lease and sue landlord for refusing to enforce the laws/rules. It's going to be a hassle not matter what, sorry.

[Cruzincat]

http://boingboing.net/2011/10/25/how...rs-stereo.html

Google: "broadcast noise to noisy neighbor's stereo"

[DelawareLiz]

^^good link, Cruzincat.

It's sad that so many people act like they were raised in a barn anymore and have no clue how to act like a decent human being. I cannot stand noisy, disrespectful people. As stated previously, I have dealt with this in my neighborhood and the offending idiots were never, ever, ever homeowners--always renters (typically short-term) or "visitors". It was also always during the summer months.

[keithdmitchell]

Dear GOD, this is driving me crazy. Some days it's livable and on others I have to bang on his door to get him to stop. Thank GOD I'll be moving (Hopefully) to a single detached home at the end of April 2013.

[Teckeeee]

Originally Posted by Cruzincat

HOWTO take over your neighbor's stereo - Boing Boing

Google: "broadcast noise to noisy neighbor's stereo"

Thanks for posting that I am bookmarking this. You could really have fun with this........do a mr roboto from dick and jane.

[retiree2011]

Originally Posted by keithdmitchell

Dear GOD, this is driving me crazy. Some days it's livable and on others I have to bang on his door to get him to stop. Thank GOD I'll be moving (Hopefully) to a single detached home at the end of April 2013.

Good luck to you. Hope things work out. I was in a similar situation (though not as bad) until just after Christmas last year. Thnakfully the guy's job moved and it was too far for him to drive (thanks Best Buy!!!). They took their loud, wall-mounted TV and chihuahua (which, as renters, they were not even supposed to have) and moved. I have been enjoying not having anyone next to me since, but as the unit is still vacant, don't know what I will get in there. With my luck, it could be someone even worse! I know for sure, it is my last condo or attached-housing set-up.

[Drummer46350]

Wow, did this bring back horrific memories. I lived in an apartment complex in Federal Way, Washington - moved there from Plainsboro, NJ. In my NJ home, if tenants were noisy, all it took was a call to the leasing office and a courtesy officer would pay a visit and also keep a watch to ensure that the problem was corrected. The lease was clear that you could be evicted for disturbing the quiet enjoyment of the premises. In Washington, however, I think I could have played my bass guitar with the amp turned all the way up and the leasing office would have just turned a blind eye.

A family moved into the apartment that shared a living room wall with mine. They installed a new home theater system and from the moment they arrived home in the evening until around 1 AM, I heard nothing but the thud of the bass or the sound effects of horror movies and sci fi movies. If they were watching the same TV channel as I, there was no need for me to have the sound on because I could hear it perfectly from their speakers. At first, I knocked on the door and spoke to a very polite lady that promised to be more considerate. I invited her over to hear the noise I heard since she insisted "It's not that loud." However, the noise didn't stop. There was no help from the leasing office and the police in Federal Way had far more important calls than noise complaints.

The tenants upstairs moved, and suddenly I had another problem. Their young son would constantly roll what sounded like a golf ball from one side of the room to the other. The family spoke very limited English so it was hard to get my point across. When I had a maintenance guy over to fix a problem with my plumbing, he heard the home theater and the constant bouncing ball. It finally drove him nuts and he was able to get the landlord to come hear it as well. They advised me to use a video camera and record the problem with a date/time stamp. They said to be sure to pan the camera so that it was clearly my apartment that was being filmed. I was able to do this and use it as evidence when the apartment complex took the neighbors to court for eviction.

Unfortunately, noise issues are so common that most landlords don't take action. There are sites on the Internet where tenants can rate apartment complexes. Use them. Let others know when the management is unresponsive. But also let others know when management reacts in your favor.

I have found that most people do not understand just how far and how loudly bass reverberates. What sounds normal in your own home might be driving your neighbor to drink. Consideration is key. Remember that most home theaters are not designed for apartments, although one can obviously lower the bass response. Also, to be fair, some people are noise-sensitive. Determining if the problem is you or your neighbor can prevent unpleasant situations.

Use the local ordinances and/or apartment/condo association rules when necessary. Don't hesitate to call police if the problem justifies it. City council meetings can be a good means of getting the message across that noise ordinances aren't being enforced. It is a shame that sometimes the victim rather than the offending party has to move, but sometimes that's what it takes. If you move, I would highly advise choosing housing that is away from neighbors rather than multi-unit.